RIIDMDR chapter 95

 

Yao Lin walked into the courtyard from outside with water vapor all over his body. He didn’t notice any unusual situations in the courtyard. Seeing that the food was already set out, he took a seat as if he were at home.

Zhixing also sat down at the table. Raised by the Bai couple, he was devoted to studying medicine and pharmacology. He didn’t care much about other people’s opinions and didn’t take the misunderstanding about the little deer demon seriously. However, he was grateful that Nan Xu had spoken up for him.

After sitting down, Yao Lin grabbed a steamed bun and looked at Zhixing. “Where were you yesterday? I haven’t seen you since evening.

Zhixing: …

The horrible awkwardness returned, worse than a thousand questions from the little deer demon. Zhixing’s face flushed almost instantly.

Seeing this, Yao Lin became even more puzzled. “Did he go see his sweetheart? Or…”

Nan Xu watched Zhixing fidget; the stool he was sitting on felt like it had spikes. He coughed twice, patting his chest and pretending to choke to draw Yao Lin’s attention back. He then casually asked, “Why are you so drenched so early in the morning?”

Yao Lin’s face darkened at the mention of this. The spiritual energy in these mountains was richer than in other places. After waking up early, he transformed into his original form and circled the mountains. Who knew that, after flying away from the main peak, he would run into heavy rain? The rain cloud seemed to belong to an annoying little demon. It was strange and chased him relentlessly, drenching him until he flew back to the main peak and finally shook it off.

“I ran into a rain cloud demon. Truly hateful,” Yao Lin said. Yao Lin recounted his morning encounter.

Aside from casual gossip, he rarely voiced his dislike for anyone. As a bird demon, however, he despised thunder and rain by nature—and clouds most of all, even if his feathers were waterproof. Natural rain was one thing, but that cloud demon had chased him specifically!

Nan Xu was shocked. “Clouds can become demons?”

Yao Lin was taken aback by his surprise. How could the owner seem to know so little about the demon realm? He turned toward Zhixing and Tingchuan, but neither of them seemed surprised.

“In times when spiritual energy was abundant, anything in the demon realm could become a demon and take form if it had the chance and ability. But not anymore. The cloud demons that exist now mostly descended from the earliest generations; their powers have continuously weakened. Their demon energy is insufficient, and they can barely take shape,” Tingchuan explained.

Nan Xu nodded in understanding, then looked at Yao Lin sympathetically. For such a weak little demon to be able to bully him, Yao Lin’s cultivation must be terribly low.

Yao Lin caught Nan Xu’s gaze and, realizing what he was thinking, quickly defended himself. “I simply chose not to bother with it.”

Nan Xu said, “Oh,” sounding as if he believed him, but he still placed two more buns in Yao Lin’s bowl. He looked very considerate.

Yao Lin: ……

If you don’t believe it, just say so. Why the pitying gaze and feeding?

Frustrated, Yao Lin grabbed a bun and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing angrily. Zhixing, sitting next to him, tried to hide his laughter, having completely forgotten how embarrassed he’d been just minutes ago.

The two deer demons inside finished every bite of breakfast. They had thought the spiritual energy in the food earlier was a coincidence. But after eating the rest—the thick porridge and refreshing side dishes—they realized everything was delicious and contained pure spiritual energy. Though not much, it was enough to shock them.

After breakfast, once the dishes had been cleared away, Nan Xu found that the upgraded leisure area in the wooden house looked a bit empty. He moved a table and a few stools over. He opened the windows and a gentle autumn breeze drifted in, carrying the season’s cool fragrance—refreshing and pleasant.

Zhixing began diagnosing the young deer demon. While Nan Xu wiped the dust off the shelves in the main room, the young deer demon transformed—under the elder deer demon’s urging—from an eighteen- or nineteen-year-old youth into a long-legged fawn, seeing no outsiders present except Nan Xu. Nan Xu happened to glance over and froze. He had seen Zhixing turn into a hedgehog before but still couldn’t quite get used to these sudden transformations.

Nan Xu’s gaze lingered only for a moment, lost in thought, before the sensitive deer noticed. He glanced back, his bright black eyes gleaming with subtle displeasure and instantly capturing Nan Xu’s attention. During his time in the human world, Nan Xu had visited several zoos and seen many deer, but none with eyes as lively and expressive as this one’s.

Perhaps this was the difference between demons and ordinary animals, Nan Xu thought. Furthermore, in his true form, he appeared much livelier than the deer demon in human form.

His astonishment was evident, and the deer demon’s irritation faltered. He silently turned his head away, no longer resisting Nan Xu’s scrutiny.

With his head calmly lowered, the young deer demon let Zhixing examine the top of his head carefully. Nan Xu stood nearby with the cloth in hand. He noticed not only the young deer’s eyes, but also the beautiful pattern of his fur and his soft-looking velvet ears.

The young deer had been self-conscious and melancholy for years because his antlers never grew. However, Nan Xu didn’t think the lack of antlers affected his beauty.

While the examination continued, Nan Xu walked out of the main room. Under the grape arbor, Tingchuan fiddled with a basket of chrysanthemums that Nan Xu had picked. Seeing this, Nan Xu hurried forward. “Don’t pluck off the petals! I’m going to dry them.”

Tingchuan withdrew his hand and looked up at Nan Xu. “For making tea again?”

Nan Xu nodded. “Many flowers can be brewed into tea, each with different effects. But what we humans drink most often are the green leaves of a certain tree. I haven’t seen it in these mountains yet.”

Tingchuan asked what the tree looked like. Nan Xu described it for a while, but he soon realized that the tea leaves he was describing looked no different from the leaves of a common shrub, so he gave up. “I’ll find it someday.”

His mind was still on the young deer demon’s true form; he wasn’t in a rush to search for tea. Seeing that Tingchuan was idle, Nan Xu sat down beside him and asked, “Are the Bai couple from West Mountain really that skilled in medicine? I wonder if they can truly heal the young deer’s antlers. Such a cute deer demon. It’s such a pity that he’s been feeling gloomy all year because his antlers won’t grow.”

Tingchuan glanced at him sourly. “Yesterday, you praised the hedgehog demon, and now you’ve fallen for the deer demon’s true form?”

Nan Xu: ?

What kind of accusation was that? Like he falls for anyone he sees!

“How could I be that shallow?” Nan Xu said seriously. “It’s just simple appreciation.”

Tingchuan clearly didn’t believe him. When Nan Xu came out earlier, he might as well have had the words “So beautiful, I like it” written all over his face.

Seeing that Tingchuan was still unconvinced, Nan Xu firmly declared, “Well, I simply can’t transform; otherwise, I’d definitely be cuter than them.”

Hearing Nan Xu’s confident tone, Tingchuan was speechless for a long time. He didn’t have the heart to tell Nan Xu that if he could take a true form, it likely wouldn’t be anywhere near cute.

After soothing Tingchuan’s jealousy, Nan Xu stood up. The sweet potato paste water from yesterday had settled overnight, leaving sediment at the bottom. He poured off the clear water, scooped out the white residue, and set it in a winnowing basket to dry in the sun.

Around noon, the elder deer demon and Zhixing emerged from the main room. The young deer demon didn’t follow. They looked tired but fine, so he hadn’t expended much energy.

“How was it?” Nan Xu asked as he picked up some chopped firewood from the ground.

Zhixing still found it difficult to talk to unfamiliar deer demons, but he was much more relaxed with Nan Xu. Seizing the opportunity, Zhixing explained the young deer’s condition.

“It’s not a serious problem. His spiritual energy flow was blocked, which caused emotional depression and illness. I’ve already cleared his meridians. Whether he improves depends on his ability to adjust his mood, but medicinal herbs will help.”

Nan Xu understood that part. Even in the human world, science has proven that a good mood is its own kind of medicine. Doctors often emphasized mental well-being, so surely it wasn’t much different for demons.

The elder deer demon truly saw hope this time. After more than ten years of failed treatments, he was overjoyed to hear Zhixing say, “It’s not a big problem.” He nearly wanted to lift Zhixing up and spin him around in gratitude.

But Zhixing, who was socially anxious, had sharp instincts—perhaps from encountering too many overly emotional patients’ families. When he caught a glimpse of the deer’s expression from the corner of his eye, his alarms went off instantly. His scalp tingled, and he bolted toward Nan Xu as if fleeing for his life.

Once he was standing beside Nan Xu, he remembered how he’d refused the deer demon’s kindness that morning, which had led to a misunderstanding with the young deer. He said awkwardly, “I’ll go prepare some medicine.”

Nan Xu was puzzled but quickly figured it out when he saw the deer demon stomping excitedly in place. He was happy for the young deer, but he added, “Don’t get too excited yet. Emotional recovery isn’t easy. As the elder brother, you need to help guide him more.”

The deer demon calmed down a bit and nodded at the advice. His younger brother had been like this for years. They had said all the kind words possible, though who knew if any had truly gotten through?

After thanking Nan Xu, the deer demon returned to the room. Exhausted from having his meridians cleared, the young deer demon was already asleep, lying quietly in bed. His brows were slightly furrowed, but compared to before, when he still frowned even in a deep sleep, it was a marked improvement.

The younger one was sensitive and defensive. In the deer clan, he always spoke sharply, leaving others speechless but never easing his own heart. Yet here in the mountains, he had been repeatedly bested in conversation with the owner without ever growing angry—a sign that he had, in fact, been listening.

The inn’s meals were delicious, which he loved. Perhaps this unique mountain inn could truly help with his recovery.

How much faith the deer demon placed in this shabby little inn, Nan Xu didn’t know. After lunch, he hurried off to the kiln to fetch newly fired stone bricks to renovate the small bathroom behind the house, dragging Tingchuan along to help.

Nan Xu had thought Zhixing might enjoy hot baths, but the hedgehog was afraid of water. The other demons couldn’t be tricked into enjoying them either. Ultimately, the bath would probably only be used by Nan Xu, so he decided to design it entirely to his liking.

Of course, the demon realm’s mountain conditions were nowhere near as well-equipped as the human world’s, but Nan Xu had lived there long enough to grow deeply attached to the place. He didn’t think it was difficult; he just wanted to improve his life a little.

The bathroom itself was about five or six square meters, with a large clay vat for cold water, and there was enough remaining space that he didn’t need to expand it. He tore down one wooden wall and rebuilt it with stone bricks, creating a stove-like opening. The fire would be lit outside the wall while a large, open clay pot for boiling water would sit inside. A chimney would lead through the roof.

This way, before bathing, he could light a fire in the stove and toss in some firewood. While he bathed, the water in the pot would continue to heat, saving him the trouble of hauling hot water from the kitchen. With the stove there, the bathroom would stay warm even in winter. Simple yet efficient.

---